Return to Lima
by HannahRose00
Summary: Puck and Rachel thought they went their separate ways, but when fate brought them together again they had no idea what was in store. Forced to join a camp for troubled teenagers together, will Puck and Rachel be able to rekindle their romance once again?
1. Chapter 1

AN: Here ladies and gentlemen, is the first installment of _Return to Lima_. This story is going to be a bit different from its predecessor. While it will still have key elements from the novel, I'm going to include much more _Glee_ in this one. I really hope you enjoy!

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><p><em>Puck<em>

I can't catch a break.

No seriously, after everything I've been through you'd think I'd have an easier life ahead of me but no. I was wrong.

My life sucks.

My face is pressed up the side of the police officer's car while he pins my hands behind my back.

"Stop struggling kid." He says. "You're not going anywhere."

I roll my eyes but stop moving. Once again I'm being accused of a crime I didn't commit.

Life's really a bitch sometimes.

About an hour later I'm being shoved into the police station and the cop unlocks my cuffs. "You got one call, kid." The man says. "Make it count."

I nod once, take the phone and call the one person I know might talk to me.

"Shannon Beiste here."

"Coach," I say carefully. "I need your help."

"Puckerman? Is that you? What's going on?"

"Well, I'm kind of in a shitload of trouble" I tell her.

She scoffs and I can almost feel her shaking her head over the phone.

"I didn't do it though." I tell her honestly. "I swear."

She pauses for a long time and I fear she's already hung up. "Tell me where you are."

Ten minutes later a very pissed off Shannon Beiste storms into the police station. Her arms are crossed over her chest and she's giving me the coldest stare I've ever scene her use.

"How do I know your telling me the truth, Puckerman?" She says evenly.

"I just am. You can choose to believe it or not."

She sighs and runs her fingers through her hair. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do with you. I can't just save your ass every time you head down the wrong path."

"Whatever. Don't help me. I don't give a rat's ass what happens anymore."

"What's gotten into you kid."

I stand up and start pacing. "My life's so fucking screwed up I can't take it anymore. Every time something starts going well for me it always ends up blowing up in my face."

Coach stares at me for a long while. "Stay here. I'll be back in a few minutes." She says going through an office door.

She comes out sometime later and gives me a look. "This is the last time I'm bailing your ass out." She tells me.

"What's going on? What are they going to do to me?" I ask her.

"The district attorney and I are friends so we've come to an agreement. In a few weeks you'll be joining _Restart, Renew, and Revive_. It's a camp for teenagers who have been affected by a traumatic experience in their lives."

He's crazy. There's no way I'll every agree to something like this. "You think me being arrested for drug dealing is a traumatic experience. I told you I didn't even do it."

"This isn't about the drugs, Puck. I think all the trouble you've been getting yourself into has been a direct result from the accident. Rachel wasn't the only one affected by it and you know that."

I shake my head. Talking about Rachel is still a sore subject for me. Not to mention I refused to admit that's she's right. She doesn't have the slightest clue how I feel. "I guess I don't really have a choice then."

"It's either this or your own personal jail cell. Your choice."

"Camp it is."

"Good choice."

I crash at Coach's house for the next few weeks. When the day comes for us to leave, a big white van pulls up in front of the house. Climbing inside I see that there are two other guys and three girls.

One of the girls leans down to fix her luggage and in doing so reveals the person she was hiding. My heart stops and my entire body feels numb.

Rachel.

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><p>AN2: There you have it. Yes, I know it's not very long but I promise the chapters will get longer. I liked having Puck's POV start the story just like I did in the first one. Leave a review and tell me what you thought!<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Okay, please don't hate me. I know it's been ages since I posted anything for this story but recently I rediscovered this story after a long time of not writing. I'm not sure how much time I'll have to update it regularly but I'm going to try and give it a go again. Thank you to all my readers who have continued to stick by me. Without further ado, enjoy!

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><p><em>Rachel<em>

Noah Puckerman is just about the last person I expect to see on this van. My whole body shivers when our eyes meet. I try to keep my face as expressionless as possible but inside I just want to scream. Where has he been the past eight months? Why didn't he bother to call and say that he was okay?

His hazel eyes are still as beautiful and mysterious as ever. Part of me wants to throw myself into his arms and cry but I can't do that, not now. Not after everything.

"Rachel," he breathes. "Well, this is kind of awkward."

"Yeah," I try to say more but words escape me at the moment.

"How are you?" He asks me. He sounds different then I remember. I can't really figure out why though.

I don't answer his question though, "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was asking myself the same question this morning." He sounds like he's trying to make a joke, but his expression tells me a different story.

"You two," A rough sounding woman shout at Noah and me. "Can I have a word?"

I follow her a few feet away from the van and she eyes her clipboard suspiciously. She introduces herself as Shannon Beiste. "Obviously there's been a mistake. I had no idea my assistant had added you to this group. I'm sorry for the mix up, Rachel. We'll make arrangements to return you to your home."

"I'm not leaving." I tell her forcefully. The old Rachel Berry would have taken the first opportunity to head home, but not now. I'm better than that.

Shannon gives me a hard look, "This won't work with both of you, I'm sorry but-"

"I said I'm not dropping out."

"I can't say I approve of this." She says seriously.

"Can I speak to Noah, alone please Ms. Beiste." I give her my most convincing look. After all I'm a trained actress.

"5 minutes. That's it."

Once she's gone, I turn to Noah with my eyes blazing. "It's been eight months, Noah. Where have you been?" He ignores me so I say something else. "You missed graduation."

He eyes snap to me. "I missed a lot of things, Berry."

I wince as he uses my old nickname. The name he use before everything, before us. "Why are you here, on this trip I mean…?"

"I got into some trouble," He says, "It's either this trip or jail."

I fold my arms across my chest. Of course I don't want him to go back to jail but I also don't want to drop out. It's important to me. "Well four weeks isn't that long, right?"

He looks at me with confusion, surprised by my answer I suppose. "And then you'll never have to see me again."

I close my eyes tightly and turn my head. I don't want him to see me cry. It would kill me. "You should come back to Lima, your family needs you." _I need you._ I think to myself but I won't say it out loud.

He scoffs, "Sorry, Berry. Not going to happen."

"Weren't you the one who told me that leaving Lima would be a copout," I spit at him.

He looks at me scathingly but doesn't reply. "Four weeks. You're sure you're cool with that?"

"I am if you are."

"Well alright then." He heads back over to the van and hops it.

I limp behind him more slowly. Shannon gives me a look. "You work everything out?" She asks me.

"It's only four weeks. We'll be fine." I say with as much conviction as I can muster. Maybe I'm trying to convince myself more than anyone else.

When I hop back into the van, there are three girls sitting up front who I met this morning. Tina has long dark hair with lots of heavy black makeup. Mercedes is listening to her iPod and softly humming to the beat. The last girl, Marley I think he name is, is staring out the window. She's tall and thin with long brown hair. She could easily pass for a cheerio at McKinley High.

The other two guys on the trip are sitting on either side of me. Blaine is quiet but polite and, Artie, well I know Artie from glee club. He was in a car accident when he was eight years old and has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. He smiles at me. "I didn't know you were coming on this trip," He says.

"It was a last minute thing." I say.

Noah sits behind us and I can't help but be hyperaware of his presence. I start panicking with the thought that I won't be able to make it through the four weeks like this. He abandoned _me_. I used to stay up for hours on end, hoping that he'd change his mind and come back to me. He would realize what a terrible mistake he had made by leaving Lima and all would be right with the world.

But I was wrong.

"Alright everyone," Shannon turns around and addresses the group. "My name is Shannon Beiste, and I'm going to be your chaperone for the next four weeks. How about we go around and introduce ourselves?" He nods to Tina.

"I'm Tina." She says and automatically turns back to her book.

"Mercedes Jones," the next girl says, her voice booming.

"I'm Rachel." I say with as much enthusiasm as possible.

"Puck." Noah says gruffly.

"I'm Artie."

"And I'm Blaine."

"Alright," Shannon says, "Now that we're all acquainted, let's try and make this a worthwhile experience for all of us."

Caleb looks incredibly agitated by just about everything and everyone. Even when Blaine accidentally bumps him he roughly shoves him to the side. "Get the fuck off of me."

My eyes widen in surprise. "It was an accident I say." I'm shocked at his behavior. I don't understand why he would be so quick to lash out. I shake my head.

"What?" He asks me.

"Nothing," I respond. "It's nothing." I slump back into my seat hoping that I might be able to sleep for most of the drive. I'm almost asleep, when something snaps me back into reality.

"Yo, Blaine" Noah says. "Switch seats with me." My mouth drops open in shock.

This is going to be a long four weeks.


End file.
